Disconcerting

If we’re judging a book by its cover, Disconcerting gets top marks. It’s a lovely thing to behold — pocket-sized, yellow, rounded edges, splashed with umbrellas and bound with twine. It doesn’t skimp on content either, with seventeen (!) chapters bursting with vignettes from Janell’s life in Singapore. The stories focus on boys in pet shops, internships she’s had, films, college and the ideas that pass through her head while sitting on a bus. This issue is purely text-based, but is written in such an imaginative, vivid style that it doesn’t really need embellishment. Much of the narrative is delivered with a whimsical air, which is especially appealing when she recollects teenage dreams of being a barista in Starbucks, dusting off each beverage with sprinkles and serving customers with snappy Gilmore Girls repartee. A good companion for a long train journey.